Psychological Intervention

Psychological Headache Treatment

At the Diamond Headache Clinic, our multidisciplinary approach to treatment and intervention for headaches includes psychological and psychiatric elements. The roles of psychology and psychiatry in a headache condition are as important as any pharmaceutical or lifestyle factors within the diagnosis. Quite often, headaches are triggered or exacerbated by psychological or psychiatric factors. These factors may include simple life stresses such as work or family issues, or may involve complex biochemical scenarios like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.

Psychological Assessment

During your initial visit to the Diamond Headache Clinic, we perform an intake assessment, which is used to screen for major psychological disorders and evaluate life stresses. In this assessment, we may determine some psychological causes of your migraine troubles. By identifying specific problems, we can determine what, if any, types of psychiatric or psychological therapy for migraine and headache are most likely to benefit your condition.

Psychological Therapy for Migraine and Headache

A patient’s coping mechanisms, stresses, health habits and substance abuse (including analgesic overuse) all affect his or her headache condition. During sessions with a trained professional, the patient discusses life problems, relationships, emotions, disturbing thoughts, experiences and more. The goal is to help the patient solve the problem or, if this is not possible, help him or her deal with the problem in a constructive way.

Psychologists and psychiatrists often see a particular problem in headache patients: a fear or anxiety related to the headache pain itself. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very effective in treating this negative reaction and lessening the resulting psychological migraine. Another issue that our patients may experience is emotional upset and abnormal behavior caused by the intense and frequent headache pain. Once the headache condition is brought under control, the patient’s personality returns to normal.

Inpatient Treatment

If you are admitted to the Diamond Headache Inpatient Unit at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, your clinic physician may order sessions with a licensed psychologist and/or psychiatrist who will evaluate your condition. Group sessions on the unit are also provided to instruct patients about coping skills and stress management. This type of therapy offers another non-drug alternative treatment that can help patients manage their headache condition.

At the Diamond Headache Clinic, our goal is to find the underlying cause of your headaches. Whether those triggers are psychological or from something else, our dedicated team will get to the bottom of the problem to provide solutions that will help limit your pain. You don't have to live with psychological migraines and headaches. Our therapists and doctors are dedicated to your comfort and health.

At the Diamond Headache Clinic, we take a multidisciplinary approach to migraine and headache treatment. This goes beyond just immediate pain relief and focuses on true lifestyle improvement, so you can enjoy life free from the pressure and pain of headaches and migraines. This includes treatment for psychological headaches.

If we believe you are suffering from psychological causes of migraines, we will create a treatment plan that includes psychological counseling, group counseling and more. For serious headaches, the Diamond Headache Clinic may choose to admit patients to the Diamond Headache Inpatient Unit for more intense treatment and therapy.

At the Diamond Headache Clinic, we treat your headache by treating your entire body and your mind. If you suspect that you are dealing with a psychological migraine problem, contact us to get started on the path toward a working solution for your headaches.

*Diamond Headache Clinic’s goal is to rehabilitate, restore and improve function and independence, as well as to reduce the effects of the condition. Results may differ and no claims, promises or guarantees are being made or implied about the average, typical or expected results.